CHARGING CONTROL APPARATUS

• US 20120091954A1
• Filed: 07/05/2010
• Published: 04/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuki, Tsutomu
• Granted Patent: US 8,779,719 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/14 Boost converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/26 by pedal actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/44 by parameter estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 : Remote or cooperative charging
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A charging control apparatus mounted on a vehicle connected to an external charging device through a charging connector, for performing control related to charging, includes a voltage sensor for detecting a voltage applied to the charging connector, and a control device for estimating, based on variation in voltage detected by the voltage sensor during a predetermined period of time after the charging connected to the vehicle, variation in voltage applied to the charging connector after a lapse of the predetermined period of time, and determining that a failure has occurred in the external charging device if a degree of separation between the variation in voltage detected by the voltage sensor after the lapse of the predetermined period of time and the estimated variation in voltage is larger than a predetermined value.

Claims

1. A charging control apparatus mounted on a vehicle connected to an external charging device through a charging connector, for performing control related to charging, comprising:

a voltage detection unit for detecting a voltage applied to said charging connector; and

an abnormality determination unit for estimating, based on variation in voltage detected by said voltage detection unit during a predetermined period of time after said charging connector is connected to said vehicle, variation in voltage applied to said charging connector after a lapse of said predetermined period of time, and determining that a failure has occurred in said external charging device if a degree of separation between the variation in voltage detected by said voltage detection unit after the lapse of said predetermined period of time and the estimated variation in voltage is larger than a predetermined value.

2. The charging control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said external charging device includes

a relay for switching between application and interruption of a charging voltage to said charging connector, and

a discharging device provided closer to said charging connector than said relay, for discharging residual charge of said connector, and

the failure determined by said abnormality determination unit includes a failure of said relay.

3. The charging control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said discharging device includes a discharging resistor, and

said abnormality determination unit obtains a plurality of detected voltages from said voltage detection unit at a plurality of different points in time during said predetermined period of time, estimates a discharge curve by said discharging resistor based on said plurality of detected voltages, and determines that a failure has occurred in said relay if a value indicating a degree of separation between a detected voltage obtained by said voltage detection unit after a lapse of said predetermined period of time and its corresponding voltage on said discharge curve is larger than a threshold value.

4. The charging control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

said external charging device is adapted to a first charging mode in which a voltage is applied to said charging connector in response to an instruction to start charging from an operator, and a second charging mode in which a voltage is applied to said charging connector when said external charging device conducts communication with said vehicle and a communication result satisfies a predetermined condition, and

in said second charging mode, said external charging device starts said communication after said relay is disconnected.

5. The charging control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

said vehicle is adapted to said second charging mode, and

said abnormality determination unit determines presence or absence of a failure of said relay based on the voltage of said charging connector before said communication is started.

6. A vehicle comprising the charging control apparatus according to claim 1.

7. A vehicle comprising the charging control apparatus according to claim 2.

8. A vehicle comprising the charging control apparatus according to claim 3.

9. A vehicle comprising the charging control apparatus according to claim 4.

10. A vehicle comprising the charging control apparatus according to claim 5.